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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — magic
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. march — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — a series
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — a hole
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — the season
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fall — to drop

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