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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. roll — a list
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stand — to bear
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. suit — clothes
  13. perch — the fish
  14. charge — a price
  15. suit — in cards
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a cake
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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