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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. season — in sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — army training
  16. season — of the year
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. bank — for money
  21. pop — soda
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — decided

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