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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: arm · stand · mine · rule · dip · sharp · kid · bear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. rule — government
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rule — a law
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. sharp — clever
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stand — to bear
  23. dip — to sink
  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