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

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — for betting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a path
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. track — to keep track
  24. shower — to wash

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