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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cap — a hat
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cap — a lid
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — in football
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

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