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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. file — a document
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a great time
  9. perch — the fish
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. land — ground
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hide — animal skin

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