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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. charge — electricity
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. charge — in control
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. charge — a price
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ground — the earth

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