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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. last — finally
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — to go on
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — lets stay

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