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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. snap — to click
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — for sport
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. drill — the tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. bat — the animal

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