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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — of law
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — letters
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. clip — a video
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. court — for sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rash — a series
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of a king

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