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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fork — in a road
  11. swing — to play on
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bat — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. temple — a place of worship

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