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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — wild animals
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — to confront
  10. can — a tin
  11. lean — thin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. clip — for paper
  14. track — a song
  15. stand — to bear
  16. band — a ring
  17. track — to keep track
  18. clip — to cut
  19. track — a path
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — to bend

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