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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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 dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — a country

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