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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cold — not warm
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mate — to breed
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mug — a cup
  20. board — to get on
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stand — for spectators

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