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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lean — thin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pop — to visit
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pop — soda
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kick — a thrill

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