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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — rain
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — to eat
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. roll — a list
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cell — a phone

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