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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bat — in an idiom

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