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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — farmland
  3. rule — a law
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rule — government
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — for sport
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bore — to tire
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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