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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.

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 · pitcher · tube · bowl · cabinet · cue · hide

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cue — for pool

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