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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rash — a series
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mark — a grade
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — to tease

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