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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mug — a cup
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. saw — the tool
  10. game — a match
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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