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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mug — a cup
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tube — a container
  5. roll — a list
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — a box
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. row — to paddle

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