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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hand — help
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — a lid
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mine — for digging
  19. snap — to click
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — in cards

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