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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — final
  4. current — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — happening now
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — finally
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. current — electric
  17. bound — obliged
  18. drill — the tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — certain
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — for tennis

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