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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a trace
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mark — a grade
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cell — in a prison

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