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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. swing — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. swing — to play on
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. scale — size or range
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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