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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chair — a leader
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. shower — rain
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — farmland

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