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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bound — certain
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. firm — steady
  19. spring — the season
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. march — the month

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