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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — a series
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kid — child
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — the season

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