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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mine — for digging
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — the animal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stand — to bear
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — on your feet

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