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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — to keep track
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. board — to get on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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