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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — animal skin

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