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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. calf — a young animal

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