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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kid — child
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pass — a permit
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — to tease

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