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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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spring — of water
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — in a road
  15. toast — bread
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pit — in a race

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