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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chest — a box
  9. ball — a dance
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to confront
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. face — part of the head

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