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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mug — a face
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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