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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — in football
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tube — the underground
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tube — a container
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rest — what's left

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