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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tube — the underground
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a round shape

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