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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — goods
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — not warm
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stock — shares
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — a gift
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stock — a soup base

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