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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 116 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: fine · stick · tear · row · kid · game · hide · stand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — a match
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fine — all right
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. stand — to bear
  24. row — a quarrel

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