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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 124 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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. clip — a video
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. current — electric
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. current — happening now
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — a match
  20. current — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitch — a sports field

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