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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kid — child
  7. last — to go on
  8. suit — to fit
  9. spell — letters
  10. suit — in cards
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — final
  16. suit — clothes
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — to tease
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — magic
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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