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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — in music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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