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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — after costs
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. content — the amount
  14. swing — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — happy
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fall — the season
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. net — in sport

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