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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cap — of ice
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — all right
  16. cap — a hat
  17. board — a committee
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — help
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — to move gently

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