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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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