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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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