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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spell — letters
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fall — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spell — magic
  18. toast — bread
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — a position
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cabinet — ministers

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