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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — child
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — in biology
  19. toast — bread
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. toast — the most admired

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