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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stand — to bear
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. snap — to click
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

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