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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. march — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — help
  22. wind — moving air
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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