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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bank — for money
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fine — all right
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. kid — to tease
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. scale — size or range
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bank — for money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kid — child
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fine — high quality

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