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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.

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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 · track · pop · racket · fork · cap · cold · bear

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pop — soda
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. track — a song

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