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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rest — a break
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cold — not warm

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