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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spell — letters
  11. cold — not warm
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — magic
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lash — to lash out

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