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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — to go on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — final
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wound — an injury

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