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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. season — of the year
  6. cue — a signal
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — happy
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a path
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitch — completely

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