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

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pop — soda
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pop — music
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — a series
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the 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