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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — a list
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — a position
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ground — the earth
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ground — crushed
  20. craft — boats
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spell — a short time

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