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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hand — help
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — a contest
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — a company
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spell — magic
  16. firm — steady
  17. spell — a short time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. race — humankind
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bat — the animal
  24. firm — decided

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