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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — low music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — a face
  20. cell — in biology
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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