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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to click
  8. stock — shares
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — finally
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. last — final
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — boats
  16. stock — goods
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. last — to go on
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. court — of a king
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mouse — the animal

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