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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — hasty
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. club — for golf
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. snap — to click
  24. pass — to spend time

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