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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. stand — to bear
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fall — the season
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. mark — a trace

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