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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. rock — music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — a country
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a music group
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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