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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — a match
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. land — a country
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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