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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. can — to be able to
  9. board — a committee
  10. last — finally
  11. hand — in cards
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — crushed
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — to keep track
  24. can — a tin

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