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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kick — in football
  18. land — to come down
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hide — to keep secret

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