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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cap — a lid
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — a break
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — a position
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — the season
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tube — a container
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — the earth

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