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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chip — for betting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — animal skin

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