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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — in football
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bound — certain
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — final

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