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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — a group
  3. board — a committee
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. board — to get on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pound — a weight
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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