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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. race — a contest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — humankind
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — magic
  15. ground — a position
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — hurry
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — a supporter

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