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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 124 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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. toast — bread
  3. pit — in a race
  4. row — a line
  5. chair — a leader
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. row — to paddle
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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