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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. firm — steady
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — of the year
  16. firm — a company
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. clip — a video
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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