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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — a series
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — not warm
  8. object — a thing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. press — newspapers
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. press — to push
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rash — hasty
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — a hat
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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