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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — finally
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. last — final
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. dip — to sink
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. roll — a list
  24. suit — to fit

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