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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. season — of the year
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of a king
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — music
  17. march — the month
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — of law
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rule — government
  24. court — for sport

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