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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. squash — the sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — crushed
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. clip — a video

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