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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. board — to get on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. kid — child
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. board — a committee

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