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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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 — to bear
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — a break
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — a partner
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. plane — a tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mate — a friend
  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