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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — for sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — soda
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — a series

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