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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. swing — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — to protest
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — a thing
  10. rule — government
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fall — the season
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lie — to recline
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — to turn a key

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