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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pit — a hole
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. season — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. season — of the year
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. racket — for tennis

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