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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. march — music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. tube — the underground
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. snap — to click
  19. land — ground
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — to come down
  23. tube — a container
  24. land — a country

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