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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. firm — a company
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. charge — in control
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. firm — decided
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. firm — steady
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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