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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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468
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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. track — a path
  8. pitch — completely
  9. track — a song
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stand — to bear
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — money
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a great time

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