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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. object — to protest
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. present — there
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — for sport
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bat — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. court — of law
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — a gift
  23. court — of a king
  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