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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. deal — to handle

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