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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fall — the season
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — to drop
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a dance
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fall — to drop
  24. club — a group

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