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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. net — in sport
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. capital — money
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — low music

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