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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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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: kid · hide · mug · key · cold · mine · ball · rule

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rule — government
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kid — child
  16. mug — a cup
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — an illness
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rule — to rule out

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