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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — in a road
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — a face
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rash — a series
  17. cap — of ice
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rash — hasty
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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