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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — to bear
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — the instrument

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