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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. current — of water
  7. charge — in control
  8. squash — the sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — electricity
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. charge — a price
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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