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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — wild animals
  7. field — farmland
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. tube — a container
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — the underground
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hand — help
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. hand — in cards
  24. field — for sport

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