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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — a container
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chest — a box
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wound — an injury

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