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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in biology
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. firm — decided
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. net — after costs
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. firm — steady
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — a stone
  21. drill — the tool
  22. row — a line
  23. drill — army training
  24. firm — a company

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