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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. present — there
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. suit — clothes
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — not warm

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