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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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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. rest — what's left
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — a series
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rest — a break
  24. mouse — the animal

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