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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — for sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — in a race
  11. squash — the sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a hole

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