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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cold — an illness
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — ground
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — not warm
  8. last — final
  9. swing — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. land — to come down
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — to go on
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — to play on
  22. game — a match
  23. land — a country
  24. bore — gave birth

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