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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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