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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. present — there
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. present — the time now
  11. kick — in football
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. toast — bread
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. present — a gift
  20. content — the amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. fork — in a road

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