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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · bat · leaves · rash · firm · rule · hide · bay

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — steady
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — government
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — a law
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. firm — a company
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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