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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — of water
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — the season
  20. kid — child
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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