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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. object — an aim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. object — to protest
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. object — a thing
  12. rule — government
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cold — not warm
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pit — in a race

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