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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a music group
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fall — to drop

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