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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — to go on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bore — to drill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. club — for golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bore — to tire
  20. degree — from a university
  21. club — a group
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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