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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kick — in football
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. march — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. rule — a law
  11. mug — a face
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. row — a line
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — letters

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