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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — humankind
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rock — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wake — a trail

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