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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — child
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. key — in music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — a face
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stem — to come from

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