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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: hand · bear · pass · firm · deal · hide · object · cell

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. firm — steady
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hand — help
  8. object — an aim
  9. firm — decided
  10. bear — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — to protest
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — a thing
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. firm — a company
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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