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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — a gift
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — to bear
  7. present — there
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rule — government
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — the time now
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — to rip
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — to dunk

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