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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. face — to point toward
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — a city
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. face — part of the head
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — to trim
  16. roll — a list
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. snap — to click
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. capital — money
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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