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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — in music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — child
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bound — certain
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rush — to hurry

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