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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. club — for golf
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. squash — to crush
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mug — a face
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — a group
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — the underground
  19. field — farmland
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. squash — the vegetable

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