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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — to go on
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. last — final
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. last — finally

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