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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — a committee
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — to get on
  14. lie — to recline
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. capital — money
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — a big letter

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