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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — letters
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. spell — magic
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — a short time

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