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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — the time now
  5. staff — a stick
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — a practice
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — army training
  17. present — there
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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