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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. bass — low music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — a phone
  22. object — a thing
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — a weight

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