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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. rush — a thrill
  3. season — of the year
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bass — the fish
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — low music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  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