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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a hat
  3. firm — a company
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. snap — to click
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — to crush
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. firm — decided
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cap — of ice
  21. firm — steady
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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