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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. object — to protest
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — to go on
  11. stand — to bear
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — for dancing
  17. last — final
  18. object — an aim
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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