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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — child
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. current — happening now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — the animal
  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