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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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