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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — for golf
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — help
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fan — to cool the air

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