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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. club — for dancing
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — money
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — a group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. club — for golf
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — a big letter

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