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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — to drill

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