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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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