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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. foot — a measure
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — in sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stand — to bear
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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