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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. present — the time now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. rock — a stone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — there
  17. rock — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. present — a gift
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

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