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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fine — all right
  13. rash — a series
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — a song
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — a path

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