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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — a box
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — soda
  24. tear — from crying

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