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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 I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. degree — temperature
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — to paddle
  8. object — to protest
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a line
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — ground
  18. object — an aim
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — an amount
  21. object — a thing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — from a university
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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