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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spell — letters
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — to go on
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. last — finally
  23. band — a ring
  24. spell — a short time

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