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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. land — a country
  6. present — the time now
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — a gift
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. present — there
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stand — to bear
  24. land — ground

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