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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. content — happy
  8. ball — a dance
  9. charge — a price
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. charge — in control
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lie — to recline
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ball — a round shape

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