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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — help
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bound — certain
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. plane — a tool

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