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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — after costs
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. land — to come down
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. land — a country
  24. net — in sport

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