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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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