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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. content — the amount
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — a supporter

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