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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kid — child
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — high quality
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — a position
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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