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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — decided
  9. root — of a word
  10. firm — steady
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cap — of ice
  14. firm — a company
  15. root — of a plant
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cold — not warm

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