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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bear — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. firm — a company
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — steady
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. firm — decided

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