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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. land — ground
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. land — a country
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — a city
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — money
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in biology

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