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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — in biology
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rock — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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