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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. tear — to rip
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — to drop
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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