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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. pass — a permit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. land — a country
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a partner
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. mate — to breed
  15. shower — rain
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — a container

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