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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kid — child
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. band — a music group
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — to tease
  20. content — happy
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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