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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rush — hurry
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mark — a grade

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