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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — farmland
  4. net — in sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stand — to bear
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — after costs
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — a series
  24. rush — to hurry

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