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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to bend
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — help
  18. rest — a break
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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