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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.

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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — happening now
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — an illness
  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