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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ground — a position
  4. spring — of water
  5. firm — a company
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. firm — decided
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ground — the earth
  21. firm — steady
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — a coil

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