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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — clever
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — in sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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