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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitch — completely
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mark — a trace

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