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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a friend
  5. row — a line
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — a partner
  9. row — to paddle
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mate — to breed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. branch — a division
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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