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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — final
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. season — of the year
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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