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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — for a lock
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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