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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — happy
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a committee
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — a match
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. game — wild animals
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ball — a great time
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fork — to eat with

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