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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a match
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — a partner
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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