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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a line
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — boats
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — for sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. calf — a young 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