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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — rain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a path
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — magic
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mug — to rob
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mug — a cup
  18. track — a song
  19. spell — letters
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mug — a face
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mate — a partner

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