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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — an amount
  10. board — to get on
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pound — to hit hard

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