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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: drill · cold · cell · court · cabinet · stand · foot · bear

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. drill — army training
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — not warm
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. foot — a measure
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stand — to bear

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