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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: court · bat · hide · land · stick · present · bear · rest

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — the time now
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. present — there
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. land — ground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — a country
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. court — of a king
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — a gift

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