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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: hide · scale · rash · deal · racket · file · stand · bear

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — a series
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — to handle

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