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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — steady
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — decided
  10. game — a match
  11. firm — a company
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fall — the season
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — a loud noise

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