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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. root — of a word
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. present — there
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. kid — child
  15. root — of a plant
  16. present — the time now
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a line of people
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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