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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fine — high quality
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — in cards
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. object — a thing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fine — all right

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