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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — a hole
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — to breed
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bat — for baseball

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