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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. content — happy
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — the amount
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bat — in an idiom

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