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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. pop — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. game — wild animals
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pop — soda
  9. track — to keep track
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. track — a song
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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