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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. shower — rain
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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