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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — a law
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — to eat

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