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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — a country
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — ground
  14. rash — a series
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — to come down
  18. wind — to turn a key

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