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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — for digging
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — belonging to me

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