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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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 — animal skin
  2. charge — a price
  3. ground — a position
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. craft — boats
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — of water
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spring — the season
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — in control
  19. roll — a list
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a skill
  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