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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — after costs
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. land — ground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — army training
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — a box

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