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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rash — a series
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bat — the animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. prune — to trim

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