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

Word bank: stand · cap · deal · kid · roll · stick · bound · charge

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. deal — to handle
  3. charge — in control
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kid — to tease
  6. roll — a list
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — certain
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. charge — a price
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bound — tied together
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — child

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