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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — there
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ground — a position
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — the earth
  17. present — the time now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. present — a gift
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — a break

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