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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — final
  7. suit — clothes
  8. drill — a practice
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. last — finally
  14. suit — to fit
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. drill — army training
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. drill — the tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. suit — in cards

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