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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. net — after costs
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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