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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. charge — a price
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. present — there
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. charge — in control
  23. present — a gift
  24. bat — in an idiom

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