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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — a face
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — the earth

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