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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — the season
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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