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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stand — to bear
  3. firm — decided
  4. season — of the year
  5. firm — steady
  6. root — of a plant
  7. file — a document
  8. squash — the sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. net — after costs
  17. firm — a company
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — for catching
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a tool

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