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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. toast — bread
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — a leader
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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