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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — happening now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a face
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rush — hurry
  9. current — of water
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. dip — to sink
  18. shower — rain
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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