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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. kid — to tease
  18. face — part of the head

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