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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. clip — a video
  9. lean — thin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lean — to bend
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — low music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — to rest against

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