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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: ball · date · kid · scale · mate · bark · hide · hand

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — child
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — to breed
  15. scale — size or range
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ball — a dance
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — in music

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