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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tear — to rip
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. rest — a break

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