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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — in music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — the season
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spring — a coil
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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