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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.

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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. charge — in control
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — happy
  19. ground — crushed
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. content — videos and posts

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