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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. press — newspapers
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — letters
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — to push
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lie — to recline
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. press — a publisher

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