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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pit — in a race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — a thing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pit — a hole
  11. object — to protest
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — on your feet

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