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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. land — a country
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — a list
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — to come down
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cell — a phone
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — ground
  23. wake — a trail
  24. season — in sport

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