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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pop — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — to visit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. charge — a price
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — in control
  17. swing — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. face — to point toward
  20. date — the fruit
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — the season
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. face — part of the head

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