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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — to protest
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hand — help
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mate — a partner
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cue — a hint
  22. object — an aim
  23. craft — boats
  24. mate — to breed

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