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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ball — a dance
  4. file — a document
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stand — to bear
  7. march — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. march — the month
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — happy
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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