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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. board — a committee
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cap — of ice
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — shares
  22. net — after costs
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stock — goods

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