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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — to paddle
  6. face — to confront
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cue — for pool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. clip — a video
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rash — hasty
  22. craft — boats
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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