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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bank — for money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — a hole
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. club — for golf
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — for money
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — a hat
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stand — to bear
  23. club — a group
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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