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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spring — the season
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. game — a kind of play

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