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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. firm — steady
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. firm — a company
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — a series
  24. bear — the animal

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