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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. drill — army training
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. arm — part of the body

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