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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — to go on
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. snap — to click
  18. last — final
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. march — music
  24. tube — a container

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