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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — a box
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in a prison

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