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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mark — a grade
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — to shout

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