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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — a leader

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