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

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bass — low music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — in music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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