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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mug — a face
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. mug — to rob
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. row — a line
  14. season — of the year
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — an explosive

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