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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — music
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cold — not warm
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cold — an illness

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