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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cold — not warm
  21. key — for a lock
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com