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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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 — to bear
  2. track — a song
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. track — a path
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — in sport
  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