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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bound — certain

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