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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — a weight
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — child
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — side of the head

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