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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. charge — a price
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. shower — rain
  12. kid — child
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitch — completely
  18. charge — in control
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — low music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. row — a line
  24. stand — to bear

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