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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ground — a position
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a path
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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