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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — of water
  15. kid — to tease
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — the season
  24. kid — child

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