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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — hurry
  6. snap — to click
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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