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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bound — obliged
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. board — to get on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — help
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — shares
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — the earth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stock — goods

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