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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. saw — the tool

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