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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. present — there
  3. spring — the season
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fork — in a road
  17. present — a gift
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — a coil
  21. present — the time now
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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