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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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. season — in sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — money
  6. pop — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — to visit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. face — to confront
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — a series
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pop — soda

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