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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bass — the fish
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — a country
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kid — child
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — to come down

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