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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — to go on
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mine — for digging
  11. court — for sport
  12. last — finally
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rock — a stone
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rock — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. court — of law
  24. stand — for spectators

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