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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — help
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — the amount
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — music
  24. hand — in cards

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