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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pop — soda
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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