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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rule — a law
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chip — in a computer

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