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

Word bank: key · calf · kid · rest · mine · saw · cap · hide

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — a break
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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