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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — a break
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fall — the season
  11. mark — a grade
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — on your feet

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