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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — for digging
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tear — to rip
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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