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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mug — a face
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bass — low music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bat — for baseball

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