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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. present — a gift
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — a box
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. present — the time now
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — there
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rock — a stone

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