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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. court — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. rush — hurry
  11. craft — boats
  12. court — of law
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fall — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — a thrill

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