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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — a friend
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stand — to bear
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. club — for golf
  16. mug — a face
  17. mate — to breed
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mate — a partner
  24. trunk — of a tree

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