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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a line of people
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — a supporter

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