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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — to crush
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. present — there
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — employees
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cold — an illness
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — from crying

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