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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — on the skin

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