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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kid — child
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. track — a path
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — to bear
  8. track — a song
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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