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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — the season
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin

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