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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fall — the season
  6. spring — the season
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — a contest
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rule — government
  24. race — humankind

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