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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. present — there
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. land — a country
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — a gift
  10. bound — certain
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bound — tied together
  16. present — the time now
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. degree — from a university
  19. land — ground
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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