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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — an illness
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. file — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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