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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — for digging
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. object — to protest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — government
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. object — a thing

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