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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lean — to bend
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — to handle
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lean — thin
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — for catching

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