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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pop — music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — the time now
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fall — the season
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. present — a gift
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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