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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pop — soda
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fine — all right
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stand — to bear

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