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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. tube — a container
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. perch — for a bird

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