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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stand — to bear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — of the year
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — in control
  24. shower — rain

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