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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: bowl · stand · cabinet · mate · kid · cold · tube · object

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — a thing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. object — to protest
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — child
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — ministers

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