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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — a path
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — the season
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — to keep track

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