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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season

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