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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — ground
  6. board — a committee
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chest — a box
  11. land — to come down
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — a country
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — of a tree
  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