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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — a contest
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. object — to protest
  11. swing — in golf
  12. race — humankind
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — music
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — child
  24. swing — to play on

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