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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — in football
  21. mug — a face
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kick — a thrill

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