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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. face — to confront
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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