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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. net — after costs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. net — in sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cap — of ice
  24. net — for catching

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