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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — certain
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. land — ground
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — a country
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — final

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