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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — a list
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cold — an illness
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. roll — a cake
  17. season — of the year
  18. mate — a friend
  19. row — a line
  20. rock — music
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitcher — a jug

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