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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hide — animal skin

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