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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chip — for betting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — a trail
  20. net — for catching
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — boats

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