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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — obliged
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cap — a lid
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — rain
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fork — in a road
  19. club — for golf
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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