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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — the fruit
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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