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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a face
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ground — the earth
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — for a bird

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