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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. season — of the year
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hand — help
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fall — the season
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — in sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pound — for dogs

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