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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. roll — a list
  6. rock — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — a position
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — to breed
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a partner
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — on a roll
  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