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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. shower — to wash

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