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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cold — not warm
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — soda
  13. spell — letters
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spell — a short time
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — a place of worship

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