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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. shower — rain
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a match
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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