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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — clever
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pound — a weight
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — the amount
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. craft — a skill
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — for dogs

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