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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · hand · tear · drill · hide · suit · chest · track

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chest — a box
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — army training
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — a path
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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