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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: hide · ground · row · cue · lash · wind · bowl · cap

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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