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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. sharp — clever
  3. scale — size or range
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — in music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. band — a ring
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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