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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to confront
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — to protest
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. kick — in football
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — rain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. object — an aim
  19. face — to point toward
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. object — a thing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — to wash

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