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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  3. court — of law
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of a king
  7. lean — thin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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