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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. land — to come down
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. rest — a break
  20. fall — the season
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — a country
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. jam — a tight spot

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