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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: cold · temple · stick · key · stand · track · mug · row

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mug — a cup
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — in music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mug — to rob
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. track — a path
  15. row — a line
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — the most important part
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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