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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. season — of the year
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — money
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a match
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cue — a hint
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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