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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a match
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — army training

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