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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bore — to tire
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. club — for golf
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. club — a group
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — in music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

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