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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pit — a hole
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — of the year
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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