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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — to bear
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — a place of worship

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