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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — for catching
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. net — after costs
  7. craft — boats
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — in sport
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. craft — a skill
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fan — to cool the air

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