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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ground — a position
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cap — a lid
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. drill — army training
  24. board — a committee

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