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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — a trail
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mate — a friend
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. lean — to bend

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