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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a partner
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pop — to visit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chest — a box
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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