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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 120 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. march — music
  3. kid — child
  4. bore — to drill
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — the season
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stand — to bear
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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