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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — happening now
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ball — a round shape

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