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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — boats
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — a hat
  24. net — in sport

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