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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — a leader

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