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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. current — electric
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. land — ground
  5. object — to protest
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — to paddle
  12. current — of water
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. object — a thing
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — happening now
  19. face — to point toward
  20. object — an aim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — a country
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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