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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rule — government
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. net — for catching
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ground — crushed

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