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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.

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: can · track · deal · hide · scale · fork · lash · cold

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. track — a path
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. can — a tin
  6. track — a song
  7. can — a tin
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. can — to be able to
  12. scale — in music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — size or range
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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