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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a great time
  20. season — in sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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