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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a document
  10. mate — to breed
  11. swing — music
  12. kid — child
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — final

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