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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. swing — in golf
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. swing — to play on
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — for spectators

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