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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — in music
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. kid — to tease
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rock — a stone

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