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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. present — there
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rash — on the skin

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