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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. row — a line
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pound — for dogs

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