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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. stand — to bear
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — rain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — to breed
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — a partner

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