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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a song
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — a law
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. capital — a city
  22. pound — a weight
  23. capital — money
  24. staff — a stick

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