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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — a video
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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