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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: stand · toast · fan · jam · land · ball · mark · spell

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — a country
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — ground
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. ball — a great time
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spell — magic
  24. mark — a grade

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