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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — child
  4. pop — soda
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — to bear
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. can — a tin
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pop — to visit

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