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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bank — for money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — child
  15. mate — a friend
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a match
  24. wind — moving air

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