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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stand — to bear
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — soda

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