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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — a city
  7. band — a music group
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mug — a face
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. deal — to handle

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