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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — money
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — of the year
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — ground
  22. season — in sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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