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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. march — music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bowl — to roll

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