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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. race — humankind
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rule — a law
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bank — of a river
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — a contest
  9. bank — for money
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rule — government
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — the fish

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