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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. row — a line
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. last — finally
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tube — a container
  24. mark — a trace

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