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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — soda
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mouse — for a computer

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