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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. firm — decided
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. file — a line of people
  5. present — there
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. firm — steady
  14. roll — a cake
  15. firm — a company
  16. file — a tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. present — a gift
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. roll — a list
  24. bear — the animal

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