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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mine — for digging
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. track — a song
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — a path
  24. drill — army training

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