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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a line of people
  5. toast — bread
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pop — soda
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pop — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — to visit
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. capital — a city

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