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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — a phone
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. dip — to sink
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — animal skin

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