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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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Word bank
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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: chair · hide · kid · rush · face · stand · wind · staff

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. staff — a stick
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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