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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rule — a law
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spring — the season
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rule — government
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — of water

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