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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. land — to come down
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — a container
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ruler — for measuring

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