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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rash — hasty
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. shower — rain
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. nail — for a hammer

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