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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — to get on
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — to rip
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mark — a trace
  24. board — a flat piece

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