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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. file — a line of people
  14. kick — in football
  15. file — a document
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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