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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. track — a song
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. track — a path
  11. land — to come down
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. track — to keep track
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — a country
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — ground

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