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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. foot — a measure
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — rain
  6. court — of a king
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lie — to recline
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of law

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