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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spell — letters
  3. firm — a company
  4. rule — a law
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mine — for digging
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rule — government
  9. field — for sport
  10. firm — decided
  11. field — a subject
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. field — farmland
  16. firm — steady
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — for spectators

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