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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — the fruit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spell — letters
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — magic
  17. chest — a box
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. board — to get on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hide — to keep secret

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