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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — completely
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. capital — money
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lean — to bend
  16. game — a match
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lean — thin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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