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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bank — for money
  24. hand — help

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