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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — certain
  7. kid — to tease
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — of water
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — electric
  24. bound — tied together

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