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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a ring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — a country
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. band — a music group
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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