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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fall — to drop
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fall — the season
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to click
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — child

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