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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. object — a thing
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — an illness
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. track — a path
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fall — to drop
  16. object — an aim
  17. track — to keep track
  18. roll — a cake
  19. object — to protest
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — music
  24. stand — on your feet

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