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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · game · stand · row · mate · nail · chair · leaves

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chair — a leader
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. row — a line
  11. can — to be able to
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — a match
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — wild animals

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