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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — of a king
  4. tube — a container
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitch — completely
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. court — for sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — the underground

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