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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — to come down
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. land — ground
  10. fine — all right
  11. current — happening now
  12. chair — a leader
  13. land — a country
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — of water
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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