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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — of a king
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — in cards
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — for sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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