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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — a position
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — all right
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fine — high quality
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. mouse — for a computer

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