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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bass — low music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lie — to recline

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