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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rule — a law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a tool
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — government
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. bear — the animal
  16. board — a committee
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chest — a box
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. board — to get on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hide — to keep secret

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