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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rock — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mine — for digging
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — an explosive

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