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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 116 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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468
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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — the cause
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kid — to tease
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to click
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rush — hurry
  17. vault — a safe
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. kid — child

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