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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 120 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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. present — the time now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. present — a gift
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — government
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — there
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — of the year
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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