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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. last — final
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — the season
  19. degree — from a university
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. calf — a young animal

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