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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rock — a stone
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. swing — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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