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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — a practice
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. drill — army training
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — a break
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. vault — a safe
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — of the year
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — rain

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