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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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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 · cold · ruler · hide · lie · craft · board · pit

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kid — child
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pit — a hole
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. craft — boats
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — to get on
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. board — a committee
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ruler — for measuring

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