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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stand — to bear
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — finally
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rash — a series
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bass — low music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — final
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stand — for spectators

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