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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 116 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — in sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mate — a partner
  14. net — for catching
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mate — a friend
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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