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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. craft — boats
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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