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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · cold · field · bass · rash · key · bear · cue

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — to bear
  6. field — farmland
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — an illness
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — the instrument

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