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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. face — to confront
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. band — a ring
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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