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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chest — a box
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rush — hurry
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — for catching
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — a big deal

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