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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. swing — in golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. snap — to click
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — child
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cue — a signal
  21. swing — music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. hide — to keep secret

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