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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a dance
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. can — a tin

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