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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — to go on
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — a short time

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