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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — tied together
  6. key — in music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — certain
  20. kid — child
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — an explosive

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