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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spell — letters
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — for sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stand — to bear
  14. spell — magic
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — a subject
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — a trail

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