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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — happy
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — to drop
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. present — the time now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — a cup
  21. content — the amount
  22. fall — the season
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bear — the animal

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