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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. can — to be able to
  3. roll — a cake
  4. craft — boats
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rock — music
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. craft — a skill
  24. can — a tin

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