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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — high quality
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fine — all right
  10. kid — child
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lean — thin
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — a country
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — to come down

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