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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. drill — the tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. drill — army training
  15. court — of law
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stand — to bear
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. court — of a king
  22. current — happening now
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. racket — for tennis

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