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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — to push
  9. bass — low music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — newspapers

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