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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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. chest — of your body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — of ice
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. dip — to sink
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — an untruth

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