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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kick — in football
  19. swing — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bore — to drill

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