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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. track — a song
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — a path
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — ground
  10. ground — a position
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — a country
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ground — crushed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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