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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 116 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. can — a tin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — an illness
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. can — a tin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. kick — in football
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — in a road

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