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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. firm — steady
  8. content — happy
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. firm — decided
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fall — to drop
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. suit — to fit
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. firm — a company
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stand — on your feet

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