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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — a series
  9. drill — army training
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mark — a trace
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — a grade
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spell — letters

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