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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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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: cold · can · last · rest · saw · stand · hand · fine

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cold — an illness
  3. last — final
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — finally
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — to go on
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rest — a break
  24. can — a tin

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