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

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. land — ground
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. land — to come down
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. land — a country
  18. fall — to drop

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