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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. capital — a city
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — the season
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mark — to pay attention

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