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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 112 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pop — soda
  6. spell — letters
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — an explosive

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