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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a friend
  5. shower — rain
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — bread
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — to handle
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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