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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. object — a thing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. net — for catching
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — a country
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pop — soda
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — to protest

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