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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stand — for spectators

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