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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. board — to get on

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