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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — a path
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fall — the season
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. charge — in control
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — a series
  21. stand — to bear
  22. charge — a price
  23. track — a song
  24. mate — to breed

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