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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. kid — child
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. dip — to sink
  5. object — an aim
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — to protest
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. present — the time now
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — all right
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. present — there
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stand — to bear
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. present — a gift
  24. object — a thing

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