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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. drill — army training
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mine — for digging
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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