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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a document
  6. game — wild animals
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — to tease
  13. deal — to handle
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. file — a tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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