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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — the season
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — rain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fall — to drop

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