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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  24. stand — to bear

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