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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. scale — in music
  8. tube — a container
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. game — a match
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. sharp — exactly

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