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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — a stick
  17. race — the arms race
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — humankind

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