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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — to bear
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. present — the time now
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kick — in football
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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