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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kid — child
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bound — certain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. key — in music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hide — animal skin

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