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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to drill
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cue — for pool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a path
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. track — a song
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. land — to come down
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cue — a signal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cue — a hint
  24. land — ground

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