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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. court — of law
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — for sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — help
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. court — of a king
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. shower — rain

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