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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — a coil
  13. present — there
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — of water
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. present — the time now
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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