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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ground — a position
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — bread
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. date — the fruit

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