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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 · kid · fan · stick · temple · can · object · cold

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kid — child
  3. can — to be able to
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stand — to bear
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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