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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. club — for golf
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — army training
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. club — a group

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