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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — to handle
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ground — a position
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. race — a contest
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cue — a signal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. ground — crushed
  23. race — humankind
  24. deal — a big deal

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