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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bore — to drill
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bore — to tire
  22. shower — rain
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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