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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · march · ball · stand · hide · straw · firm · kid

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — to bear
  4. march — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a great time
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. firm — decided
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cap — a hat
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. firm — a company
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a lid
  18. firm — steady
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. march — the month

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