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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — a series
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to click
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — a country
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rash — hasty

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