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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. race — a contest
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — humankind
  15. content — happy
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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