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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. charge — in control
  10. stand — to bear
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. charge — a price
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. straw — a straw man

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