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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. suit — to fit
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — to handle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — a grade

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