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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — final
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. last — finally
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — for spectators

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