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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — humankind
  6. suit — clothes
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — there
  9. dip — to sink
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — a contest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. race — the arms race
  16. suit — in cards
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. suit — to fit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — for digging
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. prune — the fruit

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