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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mark — a grade
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — to sink
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to dunk

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