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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. last — finally
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. present — a gift
  16. key — in music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — final
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. key — for a lock
  23. drill — army training
  24. cell — in biology

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