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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pop — to visit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a music group
  17. lie — to recline
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pop — soda
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fork — in a road

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