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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. present — the time now
  3. row — a line
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. present — a gift
  13. cold — not warm
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. kid — child
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. land — a country
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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