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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. file — a document
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pop — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. track — a path

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