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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a great time
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fall — to drop

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