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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. last — final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a football final

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