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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — ground
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — a face
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. land — a country
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — for baseball

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