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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. ground — a position
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — electricity
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pound — a weight
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — crushed
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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