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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — the fish
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — for sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — a weight
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — a subject
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pound — to hit hard

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