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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mate — a partner

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