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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.

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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rock — music
  4. hand — help
  5. mug — a face
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — to rob
  13. band — a ring
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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