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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 124 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — the season
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bat — the animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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