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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bass — low music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rock — a stone

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