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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. toast — bread
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — for sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wound — an injury
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — to bear
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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