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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — the time now
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — to confront
  11. snap — to click
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rule — government
  20. cap — a hat
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. rule — a law

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