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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. race — a contest
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — a country
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — humankind
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. land — to come down
  21. tear — to rip
  22. land — ground
  23. race — the arms race
  24. swing — music

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