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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · hide · degree · arm · pound · season · mate · stand

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stand — to bear
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — a friend
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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