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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. game — wild animals
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ground — a position
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. game — a match

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