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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. net — after costs
  15. spell — letters
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spell — magic
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. snap — to click

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