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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a song
  16. present — a gift
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — there
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pound — for dogs

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