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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — child
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — final
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — finally
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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