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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rash — a series
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — for golf
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wake — before a funeral

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