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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — to bear
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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