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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 120 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: rule · key · hide · stand · snap · game · staff · tear

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — a law
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rule — government
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. snap — to click
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. game — a match
  24. rule — to rule out

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