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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — to recline

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