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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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. craft — boats
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chest — a box
  16. race — humankind
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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