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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. present — the time now
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. present — there
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chair — a leader
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rash — on the skin

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