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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — to bear
  11. snap — to click
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stock — goods
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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