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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — to get on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bear — the animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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