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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — in cards
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — all right
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  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