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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.

Make a worksheet

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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. file — a tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. file — a document
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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