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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — the season
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rash — a series
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a dance
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — on the skin

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