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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — a city
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — money
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — a tin

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