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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — thin
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fall — the season

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