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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. spring — the season
  5. drill — a practice
  6. season — of the year
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ground — the earth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. firm — a company
  20. spring — of water
  21. ground — a position
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — steady
  24. stand — for spectators

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