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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · kid · hide · capital · bay · spell · rash · mouse

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — money
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. kid — child
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — a series
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hide — to keep secret

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