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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — a phone
  5. object — a thing
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bass — low music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — an aim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. object — to protest
  24. cell — in biology

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