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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — a short time
  3. object — a thing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. court — for sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — of a king
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spell — letters
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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