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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 was this ________________ built?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ground — the earth
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. cap — a hat
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ground — a position
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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