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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a great time
  21. land — a country
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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