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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cue — a signal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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