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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — for catching
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. net — after costs
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — of a word
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. shower — to wash
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ground — the earth
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fall — the season
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — animal skin

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