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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. drill — army training
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. drill — a practice
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — a thing
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fall — the season

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