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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — the animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — the time now
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. present — a gift
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. plane — a tool

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