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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — happy
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. rule — a law
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cap — of ice
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — in golf
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — a hat
  23. content — the amount
  24. fall — to drop

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