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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — of the year
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — in music
  13. rock — music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — a stone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. saw — the tool

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