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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. kick — in football
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — government
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rule — a law
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. perch — the fish

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