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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. foot — a measure
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to click
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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