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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. vault — a safe
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — music
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — a match
  24. board — a committee

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