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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — in sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — rain
  15. net — for catching
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — a hat
  24. sharp — clever

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