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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spell — magic
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — a line
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — letters
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stand — to bear

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