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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. fine — all right
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bat — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hand — help
  10. stand — to bear
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fine — high quality
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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