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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: wound · kid · bat · mate · mug · bay · can · ground

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — a position
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kid — child
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mug — a face
  24. can — a tin

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