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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · tear · key · stand · drill · club

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — to bear
  5. key — in music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — a practice
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cold — an illness
  18. club — for golf

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