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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. last — final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. craft — boats
  9. tube — the underground
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — low music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. season — of the year
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. squash — to crush
  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