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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — goods
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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