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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: kid · wake · chest · march · stand · hide · leaves · key

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — in music
  3. chest — a box
  4. stand — to bear
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — child
  16. march — music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — to tease

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