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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — final
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. last — finally

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