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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mug — a face
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — a country
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. land — to come down
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. content — happy
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mate — a friend
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — to breed

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