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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. band — a ring
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. net — after costs
  15. swing — to play on
  16. band — a music group
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. dip — to sink
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — hasty

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