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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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