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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — for sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — child
  5. race — humankind
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of law
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of a king
  21. bound — tied together
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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