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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. season — of the year
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — a line
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. swing — in golf
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mouse — the animal

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