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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. date — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — to wash
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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