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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ball — a great time
  14. land — ground
  15. ball — a dance
  16. land — a country
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — to come down
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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