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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — completely
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — low music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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