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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. current — of water
  9. present — there
  10. game — a match
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. current — happening now
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — the month
  20. current — electric
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  24. present — a gift

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