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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. race — a contest
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. race — humankind
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. march — the month
  17. content — happy
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. content — the amount
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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