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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. file — a tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — to bear
  19. file — a line of people
  20. last — final
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. court — of a king
  24. wind — to turn a key

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