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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — to wash
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. leaves — of a tree

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