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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tube — the underground
  5. season — in sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — a container
  24. branch — of a bank

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