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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 116 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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — a phone
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rock — music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — money
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — after costs
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — for catching
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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