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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rash — a series
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kid — to tease
  12. last — final
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. object — a thing
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — child
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. game — a match

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