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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. file — a document
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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