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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — a safe
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. spell — letters
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — a video
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — to cut
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — to confront
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rule — government
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spell — magic
  24. face — part of the head

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