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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — to keep track
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a path
  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