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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. land — ground
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mug — a face
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to confront
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — a country
  18. swing — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stand — on your feet

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