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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a music group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a ring
  23. net — for catching
  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