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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — to bear
  6. present — the time now
  7. mate — to breed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mate — a partner
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rock — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. present — there
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hide — to keep secret

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