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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rest — a break
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. key — in music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rest — what's left

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