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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. object — an aim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. object — to protest
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. content — happy
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — for digging

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