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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. net — for catching
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a lid
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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