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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — army training
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bear — to put up with

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