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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. track — a song
  13. rule — government
  14. squash — to crush
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. club — for golf
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — the season
  22. rule — a law
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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