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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. land — to come down
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — letters
  6. net — in sport
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spell — magic
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. season — of the year
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — a country

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