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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pit — a hole
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chair — a leader
  18. season — of the year
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. present — there
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pit — in a race
  24. present — the time now

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