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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. current — of water
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — child
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — a path
  21. kid — to tease
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — to keep secret

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