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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. file — a tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. cold — an illness
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pop — soda
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — not warm
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. pop — to visit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. branch — a division
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — for sport

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