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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. march — music
  14. bass — low music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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