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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — ground
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. craft — a skill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bark — to shout
  19. land — a country
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — a lid
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — of ice
  24. squash — the vegetable

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