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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — a video
  6. fall — the season
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. firm — decided
  9. field — farmland
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — to cut
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. field — for sport
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. calf — a young animal

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