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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — finally
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hand — help
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — gave birth

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