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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — for digging
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. dip — a sauce

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