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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cue — for pool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. season — in sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — a container
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

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