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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: kid · cabinet · bat · cold · can · fine · hide · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — of water
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — the season
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — high quality
  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