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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cold — not warm
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stand — to bear
  7. band — a ring
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. band — a music group
  24. cold — the Cold War

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