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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pit · lash · rule · ball · pitcher · land · coach · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — government
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pit — a hole
  6. land — ground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rule — a law
  24. lash — an eyelash

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