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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — completely
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pit — a hole
  14. net — in sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — after costs
  24. rash — hasty

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