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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.

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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — rain
  14. ground — crushed
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. key — in music

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