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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — low music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — a line
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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