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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spell — magic
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. face — to confront
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to point toward
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — to breed
  24. straw — dry grass

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