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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. land — ground
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — obliged
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. land — to come down
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — a country

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